inspiration

As a designer I always think it’s important to share ideas and resources, that’s why I’ve recently opened a Creative Market shop. I’m totally stoked to get the first two Photoshop effects featured on their blog.

I’m delighted to have the first two products: The Colour Double Exposure and Digital Glitch Effect featured on the Creative Market blog. The site is jam packed with talented creatives producing assets for all kinds of projects. The focus for me thus far, has been on the creation of powerful and easy to use professional, photographic Photoshop effects. Having said that it’s early days so who knows where I’ll go from here. I’m always open to suggestions, so feel free to let me know if there is something specific you need.

Over the coming months I’ll be aiming to add more effects, textures, templates and numerous other design resources. You can view the blog by clicking here. You can also click on the images below to go straight to the products themselves.
Delighted to be a part of that ever growing community.

Two years ago today we lost one of designs’ true disciples (maybe prophet is a better word for such a gifted human being), Massimo Vignelli. Instead of my own attempt, I thought it best to let Pentagram’s Michael Bierut say it. A very poignant and articulate piece:

From Massimo I learned never to give up. He was able to bring enthusiasm, joy and intensity to the smallest design challenge. Even after fifty years, he could delight in designing something like a business card as if he had never done one before. It was Massimo who taught me one of the simplest things in the world: that if you do good work, you get more good work to do, and conversely bad work brings more bad work.

It sounds simple, but it’s remarkable, over the course of a lifetime of pragmatism and compromise, how easy it is to forget: the only way to do good work is simply to do good work. Massimo did good work.

A brief tribute to Basil Blackshaw HRHA HRUA, one of Ireland’s most enigmatic painters, who left us on May 2nd 2016

Basil Blackshaw is a name that will be forever ingrained in my memory. I can still recall the first time I was exposed to his work, at the age of 16 in Limavady technical college while studying art and design history. There was a rhythm to his brush strokes, an unmistakable and almost tangible flavour to his palettes. It wasn’t until almost 10 years later while working as a concept artist and creating digital paintings that I fully realised the influence he had on my own painting style. I’m too late to tell you in person Basil, hopefully this thought reaches you on some level. Thank you and sleep well.

Basil Blackshaw was born in Glengormley, Co Antrim in 1932. He studied at Methodist College Belfast and then went to the Belfast College of Art. When graduating, he was awarded a Council for Encouragement of Music and Arts Scholarship to study in Paris. Since then he worked and lived the rest of his days in Co. Antrim, Ireland.

Inspiration Everywhere

“It could be a piece of paper lying on the floor out there. It could suggest a starting point, anything [could suggest] a starting point. That’s really it. It could happen anytime, anywhere, any day. You never know when it is going to happen.”

I’ve been asked this more times than enough, and heard more explanations than I’ve had cold pints and cups of coffee combined. The man and legend that is Dieter Rams laws down the law…

Dieter Rams is one of the most influential designers of the twentieth century. Even if you don’t immediately recognize the name, you have almost certainly used one of the myirad of products he designed. Rams has been an outspoken voice calling for “an end to the era of wastefulness” and to consider how we can continue to live on a planet with finite resources if we simply throw everything away. In 1976 Rams delivered a frank and prescient speech in New York. It was titled ‘Design by Vitsoe’ and in it he asserted his commitment to responsible design.

As part of his far-reaching influence, he outlined 10 principles of design which permeate every aspect and discipline of design; good design is innovative, useful, and aesthetic. Good design should be make a product easily understood. Good design is unobtrusive, honest, durable, thorough, and concerned with the environment.

Most of all, good design is as little design as possible. Read more about these enduring and fundamental ideas here.

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